MakerBot Brings Architecture and 3D Printing Together

MakerBot, one of the World’s top 10 most innovative companies in consumer electronics, is kicking-off the annual month-long festival of architecture with a special 3D printing professional lecture, will provide attendees with an inside look at how architects are utilizing 3D printing to help visualize building projects and showcase their designs, with noted designer W. Scott Allen of Perkins+Will. This lecture is especially set for architects and Scott Allen will discuss how architects are embracing the use of MakerBot Desktop 3D Printers in their work.

Scott Allen is an associate architect and designer at Perkins+Will, the global architecture firm, that has 24 locations worldwide. The firm serves clients across a broad range of project types, grounding its work in deep research.

We’ve been using 3D printing for a while, however having a MakerBot Desktop 3D Printer in our studio has helped us quickly and economically leap from concept to prototype by enabling overnight printing and allowing us to rapidly test more ideas and concepts with a far quicker turn around than ever before,” stated Allen. “Some of our teams have been using the MakerBot to explore everything from overall master planning, single building forms, to more specific exterior curtain wall components; while other offices have used it to make small scale figures, key chains, and furniture. In the short time we’ve had the pleasure to use the MakerBot Replicator 2 Desktop 3D Printer in our studios, it’s proven to be an invaluable tool at all scales to help communicate and explore ideas for our clients.

MakerBot’s customers include seven out of the top ten architecture firms in the U.S. since architects have long been big fans of 3D printing.

“We are excited to have Scott Allen speak at the MakerBot Store and present a professional perspective on the many uses of 3D printing as it relates to architecture,” noted Bre Pettis, CEO of MakerBot. “It’s motivating to know that many of the new iconic buildings and community spaces are first planned out and printed in 3D to test design theories and form factors.”